1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar in Grams
1/2 cup of powdered sugar weighs 56.5 g (spooned and levelled, King Arthur Baking). Granulated sugar ground to a fine powder with a little cornstarch. All the figures on this page are approximate conversions based on the King Arthur Baking value, so when a recipe really matters, verify with a kitchen scale.
Granulated sugar ground to a fine powder with a little cornstarch. It is used for icings, glazes, dusting and buttercream. That range of uses is part of why the conversion comes up so often: the same ingredient appears in everyday cooking and in precise baking, and the two situations demand different levels of accuracy. Knowing the weight of half a cup, rather than guessing from a measuring cup, keeps the result consistent no matter which recipe you are following.
Why weighing half a cup of powdered sugar beats measuring it in cups
The reason bakers weigh powdered sugar instead of scooping it is that sugar is not just a flavouring, it is a structural ingredient. Too little and a cake dries out and a meringue weeps; too much and cookies spread into lace and a sponge turns sticky. 1/2 cup of powdered sugar weighs 56.5 g when measured spooned and levelled, and that number is the same whether you are making a weekday traybake or a celebration cake. Using the scale also keeps your recipe notes honest: when a bake turns out perfectly, you can repeat it exactly, because grams do not change with the weather or the way you hold the cup.
Powdered Sugar cups to grams conversion table
| Cups | Grams (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 1/4 cup | 28.5 g |
| 1/3 cup | 37.5 g |
| 1/2 cup | 56.5 g |
| 2/3 cup | 75.5 g |
| 3/4 cup | 85 g |
| 1 cup | 113 g |
| 1 1/2 cups | 169.5 g |
| 2 cups | 226 g |
| 3 cups | 339 g |
One tablespoon of powdered sugar weighs about 7 g, and one teaspoon about 2.5 g. For small amounts a scale that reads to the gram is far more reliable than a spoon, because a heaped tablespoon can weigh half as much again as a level one. The table is rounded to the nearest half gram, so the numbers are approximate by design; the half-cup figure of 56.5 g is the one to use when a recipe calls for half a cup.
How the weight was measured
Spooned and levelled means spooning the ingredient into the measuring cup until it is heaped, then sweeping a straight knife across the top to level it off. Never scoop the cup through the bag or jar, and never tap the cup down, because both pack the ingredient and add weight.
The source for the 113 g per cup figure is King Arthur Baking, and the confidence in the value is high. King Arthur Baking publishes a standard ingredient weight chart that recipe developers use as a reference, and this page follows it exactly rather than averaging across sources, because an average of two different measuring methods is a number that matches nobody's cup.
There is a dispute worth knowing about. King Arthur lists 113 g unsifted; sifted powdered sugar is about 100 g per cup because sifting adds air. The practical advice is simple: use the value in the table above, measure the way the table describes, and your results will match the recipes this site is built around. If a recipe you are following was written with a different value, follow that recipe's value instead of ours, because consistency within one recipe matters more than which authoritative number you pick.
All the figures on this page are approximate conversions. When a recipe really matters, verify with a kitchen scale: weigh the ingredient directly into the bowl on a tared scale and trust that number over any cup.
Worked examples
A sponge cake that must rise
A sponge calling for 1/2 cup of powdered sugar needs 56.5 g, and the sugar must be weighed precisely because it stabilises the whisked eggs that lift the cake. An extra spoonful weighs the foam down and the sponge sinks; a short measure leaves it pale and dry.
Doubling a traybake
Doubling a traybake that uses 1/2 cup of powdered sugar means 1 cup, or 113 g. Write the gram weight on the recipe card and the doubled bake will taste identical to the original, which is the whole point of converting to grams in the first place.
A dusting or topping
A crumble topping or dusting that asks for 1/3 cup of powdered sugar needs about 37.5 g. Small fractional amounts are where cup measures are least reliable, so the scale turns a fiddly measurement into a ten-second job.
When this conversion matters most
Precision matters most when you are repeating a success. A bake that turned out perfectly deserves to be repeatable, and grams are the only record that survives from one kitchen to the next. Record 56.5 g for 1/2 cup of powdered sugar on your recipe card, and the next time you make it the result will be the same, whether the sugar is fresh from a new bag or the last of a softened, clumpy one.
Common mistakes with powdered sugar
- Levelling with a finger. A fingertip is not straight and not level. Use the back of a knife to sweep the top of the cup flat, or weigh 56.5 g and skip the levelling altogether.
- Measuring over the mixing bowl. Spilling a little extra into the bowl is easy and invisible. Measure over the bag or the sink, or weigh directly into the bowl on a tared scale.
- Ignoring the dispute note. Some sugars have genuinely disputed weights, so check the method note on this page before choosing a figure. Consistency within one recipe matters more than which authority you follow.
- Storing sugar open. An open bag lets in moisture and clumps, which changes the weight per cup. Keep powdered sugar in an airtight container so 56.5 g per half-cup stays true.
Storage and handling
Airtight container, cool and dry, indefinitely. Keeping powdered sugar stored properly also keeps its weight per cup stable: an ingredient that has absorbed moisture from the air weighs more per cup than a dry one, so good storage is not just about freshness, it is about measurement accuracy too. If a container has been open for months in a humid kitchen, the first thing to do before a precise bake is to weigh the ingredient rather than trusting the cup.
Frequently asked questions
How many grams is 1/2 cup of powdered sugar?
1/2 cup of powdered sugar weighs 56.5 g, measured spooned and levelled according to King Arthur Baking. That is the figure to use when converting a recipe from cups to grams, and it is the value the conversion table on this page is built on.
How do I measure powdered sugar without a scale?
Spooned and levelled means spooning the ingredient into the measuring cup until it is heaped, then sweeping a straight knife across the top to level it off. Never scoop the cup through the bag or jar, and never tap the cup down, because both pack the ingredient and add weight. That gives the closest result to 56.5 g per half-cup, but it is still an estimate: the honest answer is that a scale is the only way to know the exact weight, and a basic digital kitchen scale costs less than a bag of good flour.
Why do different websites give different weights for powdered sugar?
Because they measure different things and round differently. Some sources scoop, some spoon and level, some pack, and some round to the nearest 5 or 10 g. A source that packs will always report a heavier cup than a source that spoons and levels, and both can be correct about their own method. The fix is to pick one source and one method and stick with it for the whole recipe.
What is powdered sugar used for?
Icings, glazes, dusting and buttercream. Granulated sugar ground to a fine powder with a little cornstarch.
Can I use powdered sugar and granulated sugar interchangeably by weight?
Only with care. Different sugars have different weights per cup and different flavours, so swapping by volume is unreliable. Swapping by weight is better, but a sugar with more molasses, like brown or muscovado, also adds moisture and acidity, which changes how the bake behaves. For a straight swap, match the weight and expect a slightly different flavour and colour.
How should I store powdered sugar?
Airtight container, cool and dry, indefinitely. Good storage keeps the ingredient fresh and keeps its weight per cup consistent, because moisture absorbed from the air adds grams that the recipe did not ask for.
Related conversions
Use the sugar substitute converter or the cups to grams converter for instant answers, or browse the cups to grams hub for the full ingredient list. Related pages: Powdered Sugar in cups to grams, 1/2 cup granulated sugar in grams, 1/2 cup brown sugar in grams, 1/2 cup caster sugar in grams. More tools: cups to grams converter, grams to cups converter, recipe scaler. See also our disclaimer about approximate conversions.